New House Wiring

cleverspark · Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:57 pm Post Subject: New House Wiring

Hi Peeps,
I have just bought my self a house and am currently renovating it. the wiring in the house is old as well as the fuse box etc. I am replacing this with a new consumer unit, new wiring as per BS7671. Question is...is it best to phone the electrical supply to cut my electricity supply of temporarilly for connection to my new consumer unit or is there another way around this? How does this normally get done on house rewires?
any advice would be appreciated

Adam_151 · Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:41 pm Post Subject:

There are three ways in which it gets done:

1) Have the DNO disconnect while the work is done, some of them (like central networks) will install you a 100A DP isolator and we done with it, others will re-move the fuse, re-seal, and come back later to replace the fuse, or stay on site while the spark installs an isolator. Basically its upto them.

2) A lot of the sparks just cut the seals and pull the fuse theselves and if if questioned just blame it on a previous spark, this isn't really the correct way as the spark is interferring with DNO equipment, it can also be dangerous in some cases, with the fuse carrier out the incomming mains terminal is exposed, arcing will occur if the load is not shut off first, and some times on older services things can break up as its pulled resulting in a bit of an explosion (with resulting hot sparks, etc)

3) Some sparks do it live, quite obvious why its not a fantasic idea, also any shorts while not as nasty as ones from the supply side of the fuse would still go bang in a big way, etc.

The correct way is #1, but some sparks are impatient and do #2 and #3, which probably wouldn't be looked on too favourably by the DNO and HSE, etc, but thats what happens in the real world sometimes, not suggesting you carry either of them, just making you aware that they exist so that if you ask some bitter twisted old spark, that you are not lead into thinking for example that #2 is risk-free for example.

EDIT: I assume you know that this work needs to be notified to the buildings control deptment at the council?